Orthopedic exercising machines



Feb. 26, 1957 SBARRA 2,783,044-

ORTHOPEDIC EXERCISING MACHINES I Filed July 28, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 haze/1751': Dom/0m 6. Sbarra Feb. 26, 1957 v SBARRA 2,783,044

"ORTHOPEDIC EXERCISING MACHINES Filed July 28, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 //7l/P/7/0/.' Dominic zyarra Feb. 26, 1957- D. G. SBARRA 2,783,044

, ORTHOPEDIC EXERCISING MACHINES Filed July 28,-1953 3 Sheets-Sheet s haven/or: Dom/flak 6. Sbarra WW M I brakej United States PatentQ ORTHOPEDIC EXERCISING MACHINES Dominic Gregory Sbarra, Ossining, N. Y.

Application July 28, 1953, Serial No. 370,666

4 Claims. (Cl. 272-79) This invention relates to exercising machines, and to correlated inventions and discoveries appertaining thereto.

Various handicapped persons such as spastics, persons who have been stricken with poliomyelitis, and persons suffering from various types of weakness in their hands, arms, shoulders, or other members, are greatly benefited by specific exercises, and various machines have been designed to help them. However,-the types of exercise needed vary with the persons difficulties, and a machine which is well adapted to provide exercise for one person may be wholly unadapted to the needs of another. The needs of handicapped people tend, however, to fall into various categories and it is to provide an exercising machine which will serve a wide variety of categories of such needs that the present invention is directed.

Pursuant to the invention, there is provided a machine having flywheel means, rotary means connected with the flywheel means, and means for moving the rotary means in response to a plurality of types of variously controlled pressures.

In various of its more specific aspects, the invention provides means which will rotate (as in hand-pedalling); reciprocate together (as in normal rowing); reciprocate separately (as in alternate rowing); means whereby varying resistance can be afforded so that a stronger hand, shoulder, etc., can be provided with greater resistance, or so that a stronger hand, shoulder, etc., can hel a weaker one; and rotatable, adjustable, and/or variableresistance means whereby hand, arm, shoulder, or other muscles will be given varying kinds of exercise depending on the adjustment or position of the means.

Pursuant to the invention in various of its aspects, wheel chair patients may operate an exercising machine from a variety of angles and in a variety of ways.

Also pursuant to the invention in certain of its more specific aspects, means are provided whereby a persons hand may be caused to grip a handle even tho the gripping muscles of the hand are weak or ineffective.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth and the scope of the applica- 7 tion of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side view of one form of ing the invention; a

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the rear handle;

Fig. 3 is an end view thereof; 1 7

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of 'Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged end view of the frontarm connections;

.Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of the peripheral device embody- Fig. 7 shows an alternative form of the handle arrange ice 2 ment shown in Fig. 2 adapted to provide a gripping'arrangement for a hand lacking proper muscular action;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view along the line 8--8 of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a combined handle and pedal exercising machine of the general character shown in Fig. 1.

In the exemplified form of construction there is provided a flywheel 9 carried on framework 10 supported by three legs 11. The flywheel, in the present instance, is the rear wheel of a bicycle which is fixedly connected, in the present instance, to rotary means in the form of a sprocket 12 from which a bicycle chain 14 runs to a rotary means in the form of a sprocket 16 on the hub 18; on the sprocket are mounted radial arms 19 and 20. One or both of these arms-both in the present instance-fare constructed so that the length thereof is adjustable. In the present instance each arm is composed of telescoping lengths 21, 22, and 23 which may be adjusted axially, and clamped by clamping nuts 24 and 25. The arms are connected with the rotary means by connections 26 which are adjustable to provide for operations adapted to varying needs. In the present instance, each connection 26 is provided by a two-way ratchet 27 having pawls 28 and 30 operative to prevent movement, respectively, in opposite directions, and there is provided a rotary annulus 32 movable in one direction to lift the pawl 28 into inoperative position and in the other direction to permit the pawl to return to operative position under the pressure of a spring 34, and a rotary annulus 36 movable in one direction to lift the pawl 30 into inoperative position and in the other direction to permit the pawlto return to operative position under the pressure of the spring 34. One or both arms, one in the present instance, is provided with a laterally extending shaft 40 having a handle portion 42 rotatable thereon. By this arrangement, with suitable adjustment of the pawls, a user may operate the handles as the pedal of a bicycle is operated or may use the handles not axially alined or in any other desired angular relationship in a variety of types of rowing and exercising operations depending on the particular type of exercises which will best suit his needs. By having the flywheel at a distance at which it is easy to look at, the user may obtain the maximum satisfaction from watching the rotation which his efforts impart to the wheel.

On one or both of the arms-one in the present instancethere is provided means for controlling the effort required at different stages of an arm rotation. Such means, in the present instance, comprises a disc 44 eccentrically mounted on the shaft 40 and secured to the handle portion 42. Rolling on the edge of the eccentric disc 44 is a roller 46 which is carried on pivoted bracket members 48 and 50, the latter formed with a slot 52 into which fits a pin 54 extending from crosspiece 56 which is fixed on the arm 19. A spring 58 extending from the pivot pin 60 through roller 46 to a screw 61 threaded in the pin 54 on the crosspiece 56 serves to hold the roller 46 against the disc 44. By an adjustment of the screw 61 the effort required to bring the roller 46 up hill on the eccentric 44 may be adjusted or eliminated as desired. The operator may grip the handle portion 42 at different angles with respect to the angular position of the disc 44, thereby'securing different timings of the maximum load conditions during a rotation of the disc 44. Thus, as shown in Fig; 3,'the'handle 42 is so turned that the maximum eccentricity of disc 44 is downward, Whereas in Fig. 4 the maximum eccentricity is upward for the same position of the arm 19 relative to the hub 18.

Overall resistance to" the movement of the rotary means is provided by a tire brake in the form of a roller a 64 carried from the framework by a pivoted arm 65 (see Fig. 1) and thrust against the tire 66 of the wheel 9 by means of a spring 67, the tension of which is regulated by an adjustable nut 68 within a floating framelike arm 69 pivotally connected with the roller 64. The nut 68 is adjusted, in the present instance, along a screw 70 which extends thru a portion of the framework 11- and which is urged outwardly by a spring 71. The screw 70 is fastened at one end to a crosspiece 72 of an arm 69 for movement of the roller 64 against or away from the tire as the tension of one spring overcomes that of the other by adjustment of the nut 68. Additional regulation of the resistance to movement of the flywheel is provided by adjustable weights 74 on radial bars 75. On one or both-one in the present instanceof the handleportions 42 and at right angles thereto there is provided a stirrup-shaped handle 76 whereby operations may be performed by an operator in a wheel chair at the side of the device.

When desired, the weight on one arm, as of a handle 42 with eccentric disc 44 and associated equipment, may be counter-balanced by a supplemental weight 73 (Fig. 1). on the other arm.

The invention additionally contemplates the provision of a mechanical gripping means whereby an operator who does not have the use of his gripping muscles can nevertheless grip a handle such as 42 or 76. In the present instance, such a grip means is shown (in Figs. 7 and 8) associated with a handle 42, and comprises a pressure member 80 of sponge rubber carried on a plate 81 formed with a lug 82 in which there is set a screw 84 whichpasses thru a crosspiece 86 on a frame 88 which is attached to the handle 42. By means of a nut 89, the screw 84 may force the plate 81 and sponge rubber member 80 tight against the operators fingers.

Desirably, a rubber grip 90 is provided on the handle portion 42 so that the fingers of the user may be thrust easilybetween the portions 90 and 80. After the user's hand has been thus put in place, the screw 84 may be turned down to wrap the users fingers about'the gripping portion and to hold them firmly in place while he operates the exercising device.

In the alternative form of exercising machine, shown diagrammatically in Fig. 9, the flywheel 9, chain 14', hub 18', and radial arms 19' and 20' are constructed and connected together substantially in the same manner as the correspondingly numbered elements already described and shown in Figs. 1 to 6, and may be similarly operated in the different manners already described.

In the present instance, however, the frame work 10 is modified for mounting thereon of additional equipment including a pedaling arrangement, whereby a patient may exercise feet and legs independently of or coincidentally with the exercises of hands and arms already described.

This pedaling arrangement comprises a sprocket 112 (not visible) fixedly attached to the bicycle wheel 9', and driven by a bicycle chain 114 from rotary means in the form of a sprocket 116 on the hub 113, which is carried by a speciallyprovided strut 110 of the frame 10'. On the sprocket 116 are mounted radial arms 119 and 120, which may be constructed so that their lengths may be adjusted as already described for the arms 19 i and 20. The arms 119 and 120 may also be connected to the rotary means 116 by two-way ratchet means similar to the ratchet means 27 already described.

The outer ends of the arms 119 and 120 carry foot pedals 142, which may be of conventional construction or which may be stirrup-shaped, particularly adapted to receive the feet of a person with weak feet or legs. The arrangement shown in Fig. 9 may be used by one person for exercise of arms and legs. Either orbothspr'ockets 12 and 112 may be freewheeling, so that the hand and foot operations may be performed separately, simultaneously or alternately.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and diiferent embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. An exercising machine comprising rotary driven means, a driving arm extending radially from said driven means, handle means rotatable relative to said arm for revolving said arm, and variable-resistance-imparting means secured to said handle means and including an eccentric member turnable with said handle and having a periphery eccentric to its axis of rotation, and a support fixed to said arm an element freely carried on said support for engagement'with said periphery, said support carrying a spring urging said element against said pcriphery and arranged to have the tension thereof increased as the eccentric portion of the periphery pushes said element away from the axis of the eccentric member during the turning thereof, whereby the degree of rotation of the handle means determines the tension on said spring and the resistance exerted by said element.

2. An exercising machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein means are provided for adjusting the normal tension of said spring.

3. An exercising machine comprising rotary driven means, a driving arm extending radially from said driven means to rotate the same as the arm is turned, a member mounted on said arm for rotation on a lateral axis and having a periphery eccentric to said axis, mounting means fixed to said arm, an element carried by said mounting means and spring-pressed against said pcripher so that as said periphery moves past it it provides extra resistance to the movement of said member as the distance of said periphery from said axis increases during portions of said turning action, and handle means connected with said member for rotating the same between various angular positions and for turning said arm to rotate said driven means.

4. An exercising machine comprising a frame. a flywheel rotatable onan axis on a lower part of said frame, a driving member rotatable on an axis on an upper part of said frame, means to drive said flywheel from said driving member, an arm extending outwardly from said driving member and connected thereto, said arm being individually outwardly extensible, a handgrip carried at an outer portion of said arm and having a central line extending generally parallel to the axis of the driving member, another handgrip carried on said outer portion of said arm and having a central line extending generally at right angles to the first-mentioned line, a second arm extending outwardly from said driving member and connected thereto, said second arm being individually outwardly extensible, and a handgrip carried at an outer portion of said second arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 684,688 Herz -1 Oct. 15, 1901 1,166,304 Albert Dec. 28, 1915 1,388,927 Bullard Aug. 30, 1921 1,512,650 Strobel Oct. 21, 1924 1,796,682 Bell Mar. 17, 1931 1,909,002 Oehlberg May 16, 1933 2,238,295 Snyder Apr. 15, 1941 2,603,486 Hughes July 15, 1952 2,630,332 Pettijohn Mar. 3, 1953 2,634,976 Mock Apr. 14, 1953 2,641,249 Brockman June 9, 1953 2,664,289 Norwich Dec. 29, 1953 

